Biography

Alice Hornung grew up in a politically engaged family that actively opposed National Socialism. In 1935, she was forced to flee the Saar region with her parents, Irene and Leander Bernard, and her brother Horst, escaping Nazi persecution to southern France. Her childhood in exile was marked by uncertainty, but also by solidarity and her family’s involvement in antifascist resistance. After the Second World War, Alice returned with her family to Saarbrücken, where she continued her parents’ political commitment. Throughout her life, she was actively involved in antifascist and trade-union initiatives, worked with the VVN-BdA, and campaigned for peace, social justice, workers’ rights, and gender equality. In the decades that followed, Alice frequently spoke as a contemporary witness at commemorative events and contributed to remembrance work addressing the crimes of the Nazi regime. A particularly meaningful experience in her life was an encounter with the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in Nice, which deeply impressed her—not only because of his art, but also because of his strong commitment to peace and pacifism.